Revealed: How scientists captured the elusive Kraken giant squid on film for the very first time

For the first time video footage of a giant squid in its natural habitat has been captured by scientists hundreds of meters below the waves after a daring mission previously coursed only by failure.

Now the scientists responsible for capturing this startling footage of a deep-sea creature with eyes the size of dinner plates and rows of razor-toothed tentacles have revealed their six-week expedition where others previously failed.

In 2006 scientists with the Discovery Channel and Japanese TV company NHK first began plotting their mission after scientist Tsunemi Kubodera captured the first ever photographs of the creatures off Japan’s Ogasawara Islands that same year.

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A secret giant: A giant squid is seen here for the first time on video in its natural habitat, hundreds of meters below the waves off the coast of Japan

Challenge: Scientists with the Discovery Channel and Japanese TV company NHK first began plotting their mission to capture this creature in 2006, a feat that had been widely attempted before

But after continuous failure by other organizations to do the same in either video or photographs, few offered little assistance for a repeat attempt, especially in funding.

Entered American billionaire Ray Dalio who offered them use of his 56-meter yacht, Alucia, along with a fully equipped research vessel described as ‘the sexiest, most contemporary deep submersible that money can buy,’ the Verge reports of its manufacturers.

When threatened by a predator, the small jellyfish releases glowing chemicals like the LED lights which she has previously seen attract squid who hope to eat the jellyfish's much larger predator.

'You've got this small thing lighting up because this medium sized thing is munching on it, and the goal of the small thing is to get away from what's eating it,' she told the Verge.

Second Kiwi marine biologist Steve O'Shea combined light, noise and a cocktail of giant squid pheromones sprayed in the water, reasoning: 'I firmly believe that these squid don't give a damn about light or sound.'

Room to grow: One of the smaller squid drifts by before their cameras while the larger ones can grow up to 40 feet from end to end and weigh up to 610 pounds

But the third scientist's theory, Kubodera of Japan’s National Museum of Nature and Science, proved to be successful - or at least for now coincidentally applied at the right time.

Kubodera turned off all lights and electronics - including the temperature controls inside - slipping the submarine stealthily through the otherwise pitch-black water around them.

In the beginning they saw only smaller squid bobbling about in the water around them. Then on July 10, their luck all changed.

With
cameras tentatively aimed at a diamond squid placed as bait before
them, out of the black, a giant squid slowly approached them.

The entire crew, both captivated and cautious, sat quietly as they watched the squid perform exactly the same way as them.

Weapon: A sucker taken from a giant squid is seen here, showing its sharp teeth lining all around it

Predator: The largest predator of giant squid are sperm whales which have been seen with marks from the squids' suckers on their thick hide after attacks, as seen under its eye here

The squid was described as 'sitting there for the most of 18 minutes looking beautiful,' by O'Shea.

'All I felt was overjoyed,' he later said of their monumental feat according to The Verge. 'It had now been done. We can now relax. We can now move on.'

The first video footage of this elusive
creature, capable of growing up to 40ft from end to end and weighing
610lbs, is set to air on the Discovery Channel this Sunday on program, Monster Squid: The Giant is Real.